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Best Tajine Lham-Lahlou in London
“Sweet meat kissed with orange blossom, studded with prunes and almonds—where savory and dessert dissolve into one.”
What the real thing tastes like
Lham hlou (Arabic: لحم لحلو) also known as lham lahlou and tajine lahlou. which means "sweet meat" or "sweet tajne", is an Algerian sweet dish made with meat and mainly prunes, possibly with apricots and decorated with raisins and almonds in a syrup of sugar and orange blossom water. Apples are usually used as well. The meat and vegetables are first sauteed with onions and smen (traditional preserved North African butter). This dish is served as a starter or as a dessert during Ramadan and on the occasion of wedding celebrations. Some recipes, such as La cuisine Algerienne's (1970), call for sprinkling the prunes with toasted almonds. and to steam the prunes prior to dipping them in the sweet sauce. Steamed prunes can be accompanied by almonds (1 almond for each prune).
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Lham hlou—the name itself whispers what's inside: sweet meat, a Moroccan and Algerian treasure that braids savory and dessert into one gilded dish. Meat and vegetables soften first in smen and onions, then meet a syrup of sugar and orange blossom water, studded with prunes, apricots, raisins, and almonds. It's the kind of dish that blurs the line between starter and finish, appearing at Ramadan tables and wedding celebrations where such ambiguity feels exactly right.
Order it here when it has
- layered sweet-savory balance
- festive occasion centerpiece
- textural contrast of fruit and nuts
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